Nitrous Oxide (N2O) plays an important role in the greenhouse effect, owing to its high global warming potential and a long half-life in the atmosphere. A large portion of the natural N2O flux is oceanic and the remaining results mainly from the contribution of microbiological processes (nitrification and denitrification) that occur in tropical soils. The availability of nitrogen (N) for metabolic processes by microorganisms may be an important factor controlling N2O in such soils. The goal of this study was to improve the understanding of mechanisms controlling N2O fluxes from soils under pasture in the Amazon. We investigated the effects of N and carbon (C) availability, and soil moisture on N2O emission from two different pastures (with or without treatments for recovery of productivity). The study was developed under laboratory conditions by incubating soil samples from the following pastures: (a) Control - Soil from a traditionally-managed pasture established in 1983 consisting of a mixture of Brachiaria brizantha and Panicum maximum, besides a type of weed; and (b) Herbicide treated - total desiccation of pasture established in 1983 in preparation for cultivation of no-till rice and posterior grass replanting. It is important to emphasize that soil samples (0-5 cm depth) were collected on the third day after herbicide application. To compare and understand N2O fluxes, we added nitrate, dextrose and water to the soil before incubation and used acetylene to block N2O oxidation to N2, in order to estimate the N2 emitted from the soil. The highest fluxes were observed when nitrate was added to the soil under high moisture conditions. Dextrose (C source) addition increased fluxes at more extent in the soil from the pasture that received herbicide application and also displayed higher N availability. With acetylene application it was possible to observe that a large portion of N lost in gaseous forms occurs as N2. Thus, in the studied pasture the denitrification process appeared to be dominated by N2O soil fluxes and N was the main factor controlling these fluxes.
nitrous oxide; Amazon; denitrification; gas fluxes; greenhouse effect; global warming
